Lightning

How life got started on Earth is one of science's most profound mysteries. Now scientists have found that lightning strikes could have contributed a key ingredient, which suggests it could be easier than we thought to spark life on other planets.

Lightning is a major trigger for wildfires, like the record-breaking blazes that devastated Australia and California this year. But what if we could redirect lightning to strike safely? Graphene particles trapped in a tractor beam could do just that.

In its sixth year the Siena International Photo Awards continues to impress with a captivating array of celebrated shots, from astonishing images of fire and lightning highlighting the power of nature, to some sublime perspectives on life in lockdown.

Given how deadly and destructive lightning can be, it would certainly be good to know in advance where and when it was going to strike. A new artificial intelligence-based system could help, utilizing nothing but standard weather-station data.

While lightning strikes are generally considered to be a summer phenomenon, the rare and powerful superbolt form doesn't follow suit.

A new study from Tel Aviv University suggests that the electromagnetic fields given off by lightning activity around the world could protect living cells from certain kinds of damage, which may have had implications for the evolution of life on Earth.

Thunderstorms are one of things that air pilots prefer to avoid, but it's estimated that every commercial aircraft is struck by lightning once a year. To bring the numbers down, engineers from MIT are working on a way to make airplanes less attractive to lightning by electrically charging them.

Ball lightning has been consistently reported for centuries, and yet we still know very little about it. Now, scientists have created quantum ball lightning by knotting together the magnetic spins of atoms, which could help unlock the secrets of the phenomenon, or make more stable fusion reactors.

There’s much more to lightning than a flash and thunder. Lightning strikes have been known to generate gamma rays, and now a team of Japanese researchers has found that those bursts can create photonuclear reactions in the atmosphere, resulting in the production – and annihilation – of antimatter.

Nearly 3,000 users have already turned to a US$10 adapter on Kickstarter to address a major shortcoming of the iPhone 7.

Researchers at the Florida Institute of Technology have captured some stunning images of lightning at 7,000 frames per second while testing a new high-speed camera.​

Industrial Design student Kama Jania from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, Poland​ has created a working prototype of a lightning-proof tent. The Bolt tent is part of a series of three different tents that are each designed to protect users from direct lightning strikes and step voltage.